Web of Lies
by Lysha
Summary: Sequel to 'Down to My Last'. A spate of mutated monsters and mysterious murders lock the inhabitants of Garden into a state of fear and suspicion. Can Lianne Leonhart and her friends help restore order to their home? Or will they themselves become victims of this fresh new horror?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** You know what they say - better late than never! And the next instalment in this series is incredibly late... 10 years to be exact! I had actually written this story back in 2005, but didn't feel there was enough interest to ever upload it. However, the wonderful Samantha Peace HeartStar got in touch and prompted me to finally get it on here. So this one goes out to her! Thanks Samantha :)

My eternal gratitude goes out to Leanne, for being the best Princess a Garden could ask for!

* * *

**CHAPTER 1**

It was merely a few days after the SeeD exam when Balamb Garden's next adventure began.

Another morning rose, and Lianne Leonhart awoke in her dormitory. She sat up in bed and squinted against the sunrise. It took her a second to realise that it was already midday.

"What?!" she said in surprise, waking up suddenly. "I must've overslept!"

She scrambled out of bed and went over to her dressing table, where she kept a shrine of sorts to her mother, Rinoa. "Hi, mom. How's it going? Looks like I'm getting lazy," she smiled to the picture. "I better get going – Dad'll be looking for me. I love you." She touched the glass of the photo frame, looking for a moment upon her mother's kind face.

Then, remembering her rush, she hurriedly began to get dressed in her usual outfit, and trademark necklace. Busy slipping on her black boots and tidying her hair in the mirror, she was half-way out of the door before something caught her eye. She back-tracked to her table, and frowned as she tried to figure out what was missing. Then she remembered.

_The jewel._

She peered around the table, searching behind picture frames, perfumes and candles. Then she dropped to her knees and looked underneath. There was no sign of her treasure anywhere, and she stood up, scratching her head in confusion. The jewel was something she had collected while on her SeeD exam. It had been 'powering' a machine on top of the Dollet Communication Tower, and it seemed to be attracting monsters to the town below, where they ran rampage, somehow managing to destroy entire _houses_ on their own. She had brought it back because she loved the way it looked. Its lilac surface caught the light and reflected it in its surroundings, making the walls sparkle with pretty purple patterns. She had an eye for such beautiful things, and the thing had become entirely unresponsive after being removed from the machine in which she found it. So, despite the orders given to her by her squad leader, she had taken the jewel with her. It had sat on her table since she completed the exam four days ago, and suddenly, it had vanished.

"Where on earth…?" she wondered. "Oh, I dunno. I guess it doesn't matter really."

And with that, she left her dorm. On her way down the dormitory corridor, she noticed how empty Garden seemed to be. Confusion once again spread across her face. Normally, the corridors would have been thronging with students at this time of day. Still, she carried on walking, down the dormitory stairs and on to the main floor of Garden. The sight that met her eyes as she came down the huge staircase wasn't what she was expecting.

The Training Centre was completely sealed off. Its enormous metal shutters were closed tight over the entrance, and a large crowd of Garden students and SeeDs were gathered around it, standing on tiptoes to see over each other's shoulders. Lianne scanned the crowd carefully, and spotted Leali and Alix. Quickly, she made her way over to her friends, shouldering people out of her way as she did so.

"Hey Lianne!" Leali beamed as she approached.

"Hi guys. What's going on?" Lianne questioned.

Alix shrugged. "They won't tell us much, but it looks like they're having some trouble in the Training Centre."

"I can see that," Lianne said, trying to peek around the crowd in front to get a better view. There were so many people that it was near impossible to see anything. "But what kind of trouble is it?"

"Looks like the monsters have gone haywire," Alix said.

"Yep." Leali nodded. "They went mad and started attacking a student."

"Isn't that what the normally do?" Lianne frowned.

"Not like this." Alix shook his head. "Everyone who saw it happen says that they have never seen an attack like it before. Apparently it took five SeeDs just to get the poor kid out of there. They were going crazy."

"What, the SeeDs or the monsters?"

Leali giggled. "The monsters, silly!"

"They aren't exactly looking normal either. The monsters are supposedly _mutated_ in some way…" Alix said.

It was Leali's turn to try and take a peek at the scene. She was short by comparison to the crowd around her that it was almost comical to watch her, balancing on the points of her toes and still getting nowhere. "What do you think it's happening?"

"You wanna find out? Let's go!" Lianne took both of her friends by the wrists and began to shove her way through the crowd, dragging Leali and Alix with her. "Make way!" she called as she went. "Lianne Leonhart coming through!"

Both Alix and Leali shouted protests, and Leali nearly fell over entirely. Lianne ignored them as she battled her way through the watching crowd, digging sharp elbows into the ribs of those who wouldn't move, until she reached the very front of the gathered horde.

A Garden Faculty member was under duress for an explanation from the crowd. "Please, I urge you to stay calm! There is nothing to worry about. Now please, could you all move away from the entrance and allow the SeeDs to do their jobs!"

"The SeeDs? Hey, does that mean us?" Lianne said, eagerly.

"Hold on. Since when were you so keen on this whole mutated monster thing?"

"Well… I'm not. But this could be a mission for us! Our first real mission as SeeDs!"

Before anyone could say anything else, the crowd's excitable chatter turned suddenly into hushed whispers, and everyone turned their heads. Everyone stepped aside as Headmaster Cid and Squall, the leader of SeeD, began to make their way through the crowd that parted for them respectfully.

"Hey, it's my dad!" Lianne beamed with pride, stepping aside with the rest of the crowd, still dragging Alix and Leali with her.

"We _can_ walk, you know!" Alix grumbled, but Lianne wasn't listening. Cid and Squall were already deep in a hushed conversation with Garden Faculty, and the self-imposed Princess of Garden marched her way over to them with her friends still in tow. "Dad? What's going?" she demanded.

Squall's look was one of annoyance – nothing short of usual. "Lianne, this is nothing to do with you. Just stay out of this, I need to concentrate."

Lianne set her jaw, ready for an argument. She couldn't stand being talked down to by anyone, not even her own father. _Least _of all, her father. "All you need to do is tell me-"

"Squall, I believe the best way to tackle this problem is to indeed send in our SeeD force," Cid interrupted, as though Lianne wasn't even there. "Do you still agree with that plan?"

"The way I see it, we have no choice," Squall said, pressing his forehead into his hands as though nursing a particularly vicious headache. Lianne watched him with interest. She could tell he wasn't completely sure about this idea – he might have been argued with Cid about it beforehand, but obviously this was a battle Cid was winning.

"Then do you have any suggestions for the squad?" the Headmaster asked.

"Well, I'll go in to lead, obviously."

Cid was shaking his head solemnly. "You need to stay here, Squall. Garden and the SeeDs need you."

"Why?" Squall demanded. Lianne knew he couldn't stand being involved when things were going on. He hated to sit back and let bad things happen. She supposed she had inherited the trait from him.

"In times of trouble, people need a leader," Cid explained, patiently. "I'm sure we've had this conversation many times before. Without you as our leader, there would be panic and confusion. Everybody wants answers, and if you're not here to provide them there could be uproar. This is why we need you, to stay here, boost morale and give confidence to the loved ones of those you choose to deploy. You can't go in there, no matter how long it takes."

Lianne rolled her eyes. She often wondered why Cid even bothered thinking up excuses – everyone could see right through him. In other words, he wanted Squall to be there to take the heat for the situation so he himself was spared from it.

Squall, once again, looked annoyed. "Fine," he said, in a voice that meant it was not fine at all. "Then I'll go and assemble the team."

With that, Squall turned and began to walk away. Lianne finally released Leali and Alix, then picked up her pace to prop herself firmly in her father's path.

"So are you sending SeeDs in there?" she asked, choosing to ignore his bad mood.

"Yes," he replied simply, and carried on walking.

Lianne stepped in front of him once more. "Send me, Alix and Leali then. We want to go inside."

"No, Lianne. It's out of the question."

"Why not?!" she demanded, the tone of her voice causing a few people to look her way.

"We don't even know what's going on in there. I am not putting you in so much danger," he replied in a hushed voice, aware that other people were now listening to the conversation.

"I hate it when you treat me like a child!" Lianne scowled, not even bothering to keep her voice quiet. "I'm fifteen now, Dad! I'm a SeeD!"

Squall sighed, a gloved hand drifting to his forehead once again. "You've only been a SeeD for a few days. I'm not sending novices in there. I'm sending experienced fighters to tackle this problem."

"I a_m_ an experienced fighter!"

"I'm not even going to discuss this," he said, finally making his way around her and back through the crowd. He disappeared somewhere near the elevator.

Lianne stood and watched her father go, tears of fury in her eyes. She wouldn't be surprised if her father _never_ let her go on a real mission, as protective as he was. As Leali and Alix approached her, she turned to face them with an angry scowl. "This is not fair!"

"He does have a point though, Lianne," Alix said, shrugging.

"Whose side are you on?!" she protested.

"Aw, come on guys! Let's not fight!" Leali smiled. "There's nothing we can do about this, right? If Squall's made up his mind, there'll be no changing it."

Lianne sighed heavily. That much was true, at least.

Within the hour, the crowd had assembled once again outside the Training Centre, waiting to see Squall's squad of SeeDs go inside. Lianne made sure she and her friends were at the forefront.

The squad turned out to be made up of around twenty people, and Squall's choice of squad leader was someone quite unexpected.

"Now listen up! I'm your squad leader, right? We're gonna bust up these freak monsters one, two, three!" Zell announced, punching the air with his fists.

Lianne looked from Zell, excitably addressing his squad, to her father, who was looking troubled. A question in her mind, she went over to him.

"Dad, why did you choose Zell?"

"Lianne, I'm not prepared for another argument, I'm-"

"No, I'm not looking for an argument! It's just a question."

"Do you have a problem with Zell?"

"No, of course not!"

"I have my reasons," he said, simply. "Even if you don't understand them."

"Dad…" Lianne whined.

"Look, he wanted to be a leader, and he has done for years. He's experienced too. I trust him to do a good job," Squall said through gritted teeth. Before Lianne could protest again, he left to join Zell's side.

Lianne took the hint that the conversation was over, and she returned to Leali and Alix. She looked at the rest of the squad. Apart from Zell, she knew no other's name. All she knew was that they had all been SeeDs for a long time, decades, some of them. They were all at least her father's age.

The crowd were kept back at a safe distance by Garden Faculty as the huge metal shutters were raised. Nothing could be seen inside but darkness, no matter how hard Lianne tried to see.

With a hearty wave, and a cheer of good luck from the watching crowd, Zell's squad headed inside. The metal shutters were brought down behind them with a deafening clang. Then everything fell silent, as though all of Garden were holding their breath.

Now the wait began.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Everyone in Garden understood that the SeeDs could have been in the Training Centre for a matter of minutes, hours or days. They would be in there until the problem was solved – even if, at this point, it was unclear what the problem actually was. But what Zell's squad were doing, they were doing for the good of them all, so naturally, everyone was willing to support them all the way.

But it was three days after the squad was first deployed when Lianne overheard a conversation going on between two girls in the Cafeteria. She recognised them as fellow SeeDs that had earned their ranks during the same exam she had – their names were Dante Mastic, and Shin Akito.

Lianne walked past their table, her breakfast on a tray in her hands, and caught a few words from Shin.

"…and Squall's doing nothing about it!" she was saying to her friend.

Catching her father's name, Lianne took a sharp turn and sat at the table behind them. Keeping her head down and trying not to be recognised, she listened in.

"You're kidding?" Dante replied, raising her eyebrows.

"Nope. They've had no feedback, or anything, whatsoever." Shin shook her head. "And nobody is even blinking an eyelid. I don't think Squall even cares!"

"He should take responsibility, don't you think?" Dante sounded incredulous. "He sent them there in the first place."

"Well, it doesn't look like he's going to bother even looking for them. As far as he's concerned, they've disappeared without a trace," Shin shrugged.

Lianne was getting angry just listening to the conversation. She didn't enjoy hearing the two girls criticising her father's actions. With an angry sound, she stood up sharply and left the Cafeteria entirely, her food untouched. Dante and Shin stared after in surprise, no doubt realising their mistake.

She didn't look back as she marched towards the bridge, searching for her father. She knew as much as the rest of Garden about the disappearing act Zell's squad had performed, but she felt as though she was entitled to know more. After all, she was Squall's daughter. She wanted some answers, even if nobody else had them.

When the elevator doors opened on to the bridge, the first thing she heard was a loud conversation going on above her. Intrigued, she went a little closer and hid under the second lift, listening. She couldn't see who was talking, but she knew the voices well enough to guess who they were.

"I have had enough! I am not leaving them in there – they have been gone for three days, with no contact to speak of. Something has to be wrong!" That was her father, and he sounded furious.

"Squall, please… you've got to see sense. You can't just rush in there. We have no idea what's going on!" came Quistis's voice.

"I don't care. All I know is that Zell and the others are in trouble, and I can do something about it if you just let me."

"Okay, well, let's just think for a minute before we rush into things…" Irvine's voice this time.

Before Squall got another chance to protest, a huge rumble shot though the floor of Garden, sending Lianne flying.

"What's going on?" she heard Selphie cry from above.

The Garden took a few horrible lurches, making Lianne's stomach turn with every movement. Trying to keep her concentration on what was happening on the bridge, she heard Nida cry out, "We've got some major trouble down on the first floor!"

"Why?" Squall demanded.

"A T-Rexaur has broken through the shutter of the Training Centre!" Nida explained, panicked.

Lianne felt the bottom fall from her stomach. That shutter had been solid steel.

"I told you, we've waited too long!" Squall yelled. "If you'd let me go in there earlier, I could have prevented this!" Frenzied footsteps preceded the sound of the lift descending. Squall came into view, and he jumped down from the moving platform before it even reached half-way.

"Dad, what are you doing?" Lianne asked, panicked, as he landed right in front of her.

He looked at her blankly for a moment. "I haven't got time for this now!" He eventually snapped. "Just stay here, and don't move! You could be in danger."

Squall disappeared behind the sliding doors of the main elevator before Lianne could react. She ran to hammer the button, to try and stop the lift descending. She had realised her father's plan: he was going to fight this super-powered T-Rexaur, alone.

As soon as the elevator came back up, she hopped inside, following her father down the first floor. When the doors reopened, three Garden Faculties were blocking her path to the stairs. Knowing there was no point in trying to argue with them, she ran around the tier to get a view of the Training Centre entrance. The monster she saw made her wretch in disgust.

It was a T-Rexaur, there was no doubt about that. Or at least, it_ had_ been one, once upon a time. The flesh of its mouth had been ripped back and sewn over its eyes, so all that was left of its mouth were two rows of terrifying teeth. Along its back and forehead were tiny metal spikes that looked like small electronic devices, and large metal plates protruded from its skin at all angles. Behind it, the ruins of the steel shutter curled outward like a burst blood vessel. Bits of scaly flesh clung to the sharp points of the ruins, where the monster had forced itself through the tiny space. The T-Rexaur swept its tail through a crowd of scurrying students, and bellowed a roar that echoed up against the tall ceiling.

The she saw her father charging at it, his gunblade raised. She stifled a scream. The beast was so enormous and bloodthirsty – how could he hope to handle it alone? Lianne wanted to help him herself, perhaps with her magic, or _anything_… but she was frozen, rooted to the spot, terrified. But the thought of losing him, that terrified her even more.

All fell dramatically silent within Garden. All that could be heard was the rumbling breath of the T-Rexaur as it squared up to her father. Both were standing their ground, daring each other to make the first move.

Then, without warning, the monster took a wild swipe at Squall with a vicious claw. Lianne let out a scream as her father flung himself to the side, dodging the attack by a hairsbreadth. No sooner had Squall landed than the T-Rexaur lifted a huge foot, ready to squash him beneath its scaly heels. The watching students held their breath as Squall rolled out of harm's way. Splinters of the floor flew up as the enormous foot crashed down beside him. The watching crowd released a collective breath, and the T-Rexaur took up its assault once more, snarling and biting at Squall. Her father was back on his feet, and he blocked each of the fatal snaps with a head-on collision from his gunblade.

Lianne couldn't understand why he wasn't attacking it. There had been more than a few moments of weakness where even she could have seen the opportunity for him to strike a few blows. And yet everything he was doing was defensive. All he was doing was prolonging the battle and increasing his chances of being hurt, or worse.

The clang of bloody teeth against the blade of Squall's weapon echoed around the Garden, again and again, until Squall took a sudden lurch upwards with his gunblade, jamming it into the roof of the T-Rexaur's mouth. It let out a deafening roar of agony, and Squall looked right into the throat of the beast, globs of blood and spittle showering down upon him. He held his position for a moment too long, and the beast began to thrash its head from side to side in an attempt to free itself. Lianne realised then that the gunblade was stuck. Squall was holding on, just barely, but his weapon was as good as lost. She tried to shout out, to tell him to leave it and run, but she was drowned out by another of the T-Rexaur's screams of agony. But Squall wasn't watching the beast any more. Lianne followed his gaze up, towards the higher balconies of Garden. There, in the rafters, was Irvine, rifle propped expertly upon his shoulder. Lianne smiled – had this been his plan all along?

But the monster broke free, and reared back its head. The gunblade came loose, and clattered to the ground far out of reach. It gnashed its jagged teeth at Squall once more. The plan was falling to pieces, and Squall was defenceless.

"Dad!" Lianne cried out, in fear.

She was sure the monster's mighty jaws were about to close on her father, when shots echoed, and the creature jarred from the impact. It screeched, a horrifying sound that caused everyone watching to cover their ears. For a moment, the creature wavered on the spot as though in a trance, before falling with an enormous crash to the ground. The Garden rocked with the impact, and sent more people stumbling, including Squall. As he rose to his feet, staring in disbelief at his felled opponent, cheers rallied up all around him. He gave a rare smile to Irvine, who saluted back in his usual cocky manner. But even from a distance, Lianne could see his hands were shaking.

She let a tear of happiness run down her cheek, before dashing it away vigorously and hurtling down the steps, running all the way to her father's side. She threw her arms around him, a watery smile on her face. Squall's arms gripped her back.

"That was so close!" she gasped, finding it hard to even form words.

"I know…"

"I thought I'd lost you," she said quietly, pulling him even closer so he couldn't see her tears.

Squall let out a gentle laugh. She could hear relief in his voice as he said, "I don't go down that easily."


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

"Wasn't my dad awesome?" Lianne beamed.

"Maybe. But nowhere near as awesome as mine!" Leali said, bouncing up and down.

"What did Irvine do that was so great?" Lianne raised her eyebrows.

Leali stopped bouncing and looked thoughtful. "Well, if it wasn't for my dad, Squall might've been-"

"Okay, okay! I get the point!" Lianne winced. "But that's not to say my dad couldn't have handled that by himself."

Alix rolled his eyes playfully at the two of them. "As much as I love this whole 'My Dad's Better Than Your Dad' debate, can we please not have days of it this time? Could you just try that for me, please?"

"Yeah!" Leali said.

"No!" Lianne said, at the same time, causing all three of them to start laughing.

It was getting quite late, and the Garden was still deep in clean-up after Squall's fight with the T-Rexaur. The first thing to be repaired was the metal shutter of the Training Centre, sealing in whatever other horrors still lay inside. After the excitement of the day, the students were being ushered off to their dorms by the disciplinary committee.

"Guys, I'm gonna have to split now. My mom wanted to see me about something," Leali said, still giggling.

"Night, Leali," Lianne said, waving to her friend as she bounded down the corridor, in the direction of Selphie's dorm.

"Catch ya later," Alix called after her. Together, the two of them resumed their lazy walk in silence, until Alix spoke again. "You were really worried about your dad today, weren't you?"

"Of course I was. I just… I don't want to lose him. Not like I lost my mom." Lianne shrugged, folding her arms across her chest.

"I understand. I really do," Alix said, with a sad smile. The huge windows shone starry light on to his face, making his azure eyes shimmer like oceans.

"Your dad died on the same day as my mom did, right?" Lianne said, gently.

Alix nodded, running his hands through the blue tips of his hair. "Yeah. But even though I was with him for seven years before he died, we were never exactly close."

"How come?"

"We spent all those years running from trouble, saving our own asses. My dad thought that staying with the army would change that… but look at where that got him. And where it got your mom, too."

They reached Lianne's door, and stopped. Lianne rested a gentle hand upon his shoulder. "Your dad did what he did to protect you. I know if I was him, I would have done the same thing. He thought that taking Seifer's orders was the right thing to do for him to give _you _a life worth living. I can bet my mom understands that too. I know Xinn regretted what he did, and, put it this way, wherever they both are now, they've probably apologized and made up. They're looking after one another now, watching over us."

Alix smiled, studying Lianne's face. "That's pretty deep."

"It's the kind of thing I've been told my whole life. It's true, I know it is."

"But don't you wish you could take it back? Don't you sometimes wish you could just change the past?"

Lianne folded her arms around him and held him close. "If I did that, I might not have you."

"But your mom-"

"As long as I have you, I'll be okay," she interrupted. She felt Alix put his arms around her shoulders, and she nestled into him. For a long moment, they stood together in the moon's glistening shadow, listening to the sound of each other's breathing.

"I love you," Lianne said, pulling away to allow Alix to kiss her gently.

"I love you too," he said, eventually letting her go. "Sweet dreams, princess."

Lianne waved as she disappeared around her door. Alix gave her his last smile, then carried on walking, trying to ease his own troubled mind.

A few hours later, Lianne was deep in peaceful sleep. That was until a ring from the intercom pierced her dreams.

"This is your Headmaster. All students are to remain in their dorms until further notice. Squall, could we please have you on the bridge immediately. Thank you."

In an instant, Lianne was awake, for two reasons in particular. The first being that it was the middle of the night, and Cid _never _made announcements in the middle of the night. And secondly, any call to her father, she treated as a call to herself. So, as soon as the intercom bells rang out, she was out of bed and dressed in an instant. Without a second thought for what Cid had just said, she left her dormitory. She followed the sound of voices coming from down the corridor.

"How the hell could this have happened?"

"We have no idea, Squall. The Garden Faculty just came across it on their night patrol. We're investigating, but we have no leads."

Lianne turned a corner and was met with the sight of a small group of people. Among them were Squall, Cid, Xu and three Garden Faculties. All of them were crowded around so that she couldn't figure out what they were looking at. Then her father shifted uneasily and Lianne got a fleeting glance at what was behind him. She gasped.

Blood. Blood was on the walls, and in a pool on the floor.

Squall noticed her then. "Lianne, what are you doing here?"

"I… I just – I came…" For once, she found herself unable to speak.

"You were told to remain in your dorm! Despite what you might think, you have no special privileges," he seethed.

She wasn't listening. She could now see what they were all examining in full view. A student was lying face down on the floor, the blood running out of them, and a weapon was plunged into his back. It was like a diamond-shaped dagger, but not like any dagger she'd ever seen. Lianne's heart skipped a beat as she caught sight of dark hair tinged with blue.

"Who… who is it…?" she managed to stutter.

Xu, who was kneeling precariously over a pool of blood, gently moved the victim's hair aside, and Lianne felt her head spin as she glimpsed bright blue eyes.

"Alix…" She let a sob escape her.

Squall seemed to realise then what was going through her mind, and he let his anger slide for a moment. He put a hand on her shoulder. "No. It's not him."

"Thank goodness…" She clutched at her heart, breathing deeply. "Then… who is it?"

Xu answered. "His name's Kenji, I think. Gosh, this is awful. I wonder who did this?"

Squall's sympathy was fleeting. "Just get this mess cleaned up before the rest of Garden wake up and see it."

"But shouldn't we look into this a little more first?" Xu asked. "There might be clues here."

"I'm more concerned about everyone else. There's already enough unrest thanks to the Training Centre incident. If they see this now, there'll be panic."

"It may be that they have a right to panic," Cid said, shaking his head grimly.

"Look, we'll discuss this in the morning. For now, just get it cleaned up. You won't get any more evidence from this than you've already got," Squall said. "And Lianne, go back to bed. Don't breathe a word of this to anyone else yet. They'll find out eventually, just not from you."

Lianne felt so sick that she couldn't even protest. She just nodded dejectedly and began to walk away. By the time she neared her dorm, she was shivering, and wondered why her father had bothered telling her not to say anything to anyone else. She wasn't sure she could even if she had wanted to.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

The next day, after an uneasy sleep, Lianne found herself in the library with Leali and Alix, telling them about the events of the previous night.

"And you can probably imagine my face. I mean, the blood was everywhere," she was saying in an excitable whisper, her reservations about the incident obviously forgotten in the light of day.

Leali nodded, wide-eyed. "Gee… that must have been awful."

"Okay, hold on. Describe that weapon you saw again," Alix said, brow furrowed in thought.

"It was about this big," Lianne said, holding her hands a short distance apart. "It was silver, metal I think. I couldn't see very well because it was pretty dark. But it was shaped kind of like a diamond and the pointy part was stuck in Kenji's back. On the other end there was this circle, that looked like it was for holding it."

Alix clicked his fingers, disregarding the noise he made as he did it. "A kunai."

"Huh?" Lianne looked puzzled.

"It's a weapon. It's like a throwing star, but these ones are much harder to master. Their shape makes them very awkward, but deadly. And that's what they're called: kunai."

"So does that mean Kenji was killed from a distance?" Leali said, not bothering to lower her voice.

Several people looked at her, but thankfully, not because of what she had said. They shushed her disturbance of the study environment.

Nevertheless, Lianne panicked. "Shh, Leali! You're not supposed to know, remember?"

Leali covered her mouth. "Oh yeah, sorry."

"So have you got any idea what your dad's doing about it?" Alix asked.

Just as Lianne shrugged her shoulders, wondering to herself why she _didn't _know what Squall was planning, the intercom buzzed again.

"This is Squall. Could all students please assemble in the auditorium in half an hour. We have some important matters that must be brought to your attention. This assembly is mandatory. That's all for now."

"I guess there's your answer!" Leali said, yet again at the top of her voice.

A few heads turned to her again. "Sshhh!"

"Sorry!"

At that same moment, a girl came into the library, with a worried and searching expression on her face. Lianne recognised her as Shin Akito, the girl who had been talking about her father in the Cafeteria. She came over to the table where the three friends were sitting, fiddling with her glasses in agitation. "Have any of you seen Dante?" she asked, in a shaky voice.

Alix shook his head. "No, we haven't. Why, what's wrong?"

"She's gone missing. I've looked for her everywhere," Shin said, pulling up an empty chair to sit down next to them. She took off her glasses, placed them carefully on the desk, and put her head in her hands, rubbing her hands over her exhausted face.

"Are you sure she hasn't just gone to the bathroom?" Leali asked innocently.

"She's been gone all day," Shin explained.

"Maybe it's… a really long bathroom visit?" Leali grimaced at her friends and shrugged.

Shin obviously wasn't in the mood. "I said I'd meet her in the Cafeteria in this morning, like we always do, and she didn't show up. And Dante _never _breaks her promises. She's not in her dorm, and she hasn't shown up to any of her classes today."

"You're just over-reacting. It's probably nothing," Lianne said, still struggling to like Shin after hearing her talk badly about her father.

"There might be a reasonable explanation," Alix said, reassuringly. "Look, here's a deal for you: if she hasn't shown up by curfew tonight, we'll help you look for her tomorrow, okay?"

Shin nodded, putting her glasses back in front of her watery eyes. "Yeah. Thanks, you guys. I just know this isn't like Dante at all. I'll catch up with you later then." And with that, she stood up from the table and left the library.

"Yeah, _much_ later…" Lianne watched her leave with narrowed eyes.

"Hey, don't be mean!" Leali nudged her friend.

"I'm very sorry, but that girl has been criticizing my father!" Lianne said, incredulously.

"Oh, like you don't?" Alix almost laughed, raising an eyebrow at her.

Lianne chose to ignore him. "Besides, old specky here was probably just being a drama queen. She's just worked up because she's lost the only friend she's got and ever _will _get."

"Lianne, those are awful things to say!" Leali gave a rare disapproving frown.

"I don't care," Lianne said, standing up sharply from the table. "Now, are we going to the auditorium or not?"

When they entered the large audience space, it was filled with excitable whispers. As the three of them took their seats near the front of the crescent-shaped tiers, they could hear the other students discussing theories as to what Squall had called the entire population of Garden there to say. They soon realised they were the only ones who actually _did_ know what was going on.

When Squall took the podium, Lianne had to smile to herself at the expression of absolute dread upon his face. She had a fair idea of what had probably happened beforehand. Cid had probably talked Squall into this with another one of his speeches about leadership and setting an example, all so he didn't have to take the trouble of delivering the terrible news himself. Still, at least Cid had the decency to show his face as he joined Squall on the stage, just out of sight.

Squall adjusted the mic, cleared his throat and began to speak, his voice unsure at first. "Attention, everyone."

It seemed a silly thing to say. Everyone was already hanging on his every word from the moment he took the podium.

There was an awkward silence, and Lianne cringed for her father. After seventeen years as the leader of SeeD, he was still awful at public speaking.

Squall eventually got his nerve, and continued speaking. "Thank you for coming. We have brought you here to bring your attention to a very important and tragic matter. We must ask you not to panic and to listen to our instructions carefully."

A few heads turned and whispers of confusion were heard as Squall spoke. Though no one knew what was going on, they could at least tell it was bad news.

"In the early hours of this morning, Garden Faculty on night patrol found the body of Kenji Toroshi, a student some of you may know. He was discovered in the dormitory corridor, lying in a pool of his own blood."

A wave of gasps went over the crowd, and more whispering started up. Lianne shook her head in disbelief at her father's bluntness.

"From the evidence we have, we think it's safe to assume he was murdered. We would like to urge anyone who has any information on this incident to come forward. We're going to putting this through a lot of scrutiny. All we know at the moment is that he was killed by a weapon known as a kunai."

Alix nodded proudly. His weapon expertise was as good as he thought it was.

"As far as we know, nobody in Garden uses this weapon, and anyone who could would have had to undergo years of training to use the weapon effectively. So, at the moment, we have no leads as to Kenji's murderer. We'd also like to set down some new rules while the killer is being hunted. Every student must be in their dorm rooms at curfew time exactly. There are to be no exceptions."

Lianne dropped her gaze as she saw her father throw a meaningful look in her direction.

"Try not to travel in groups smaller than three, if you can help it. All junior classmen must move around Garden in groups escorted by a member of staff or qualified SeeD member. We must take every precaution we can and remain vigilant. We may need to call meetings like this to update you on our progress with the search, so please try to attend them, as they will be important. But, our final instruction to you is this: do not panic. There is no need to worry if we all follow these rules. Your co-operation is very important. Now, before you all leave, are there any questions?"

An older boy sitting just behind Lianne put up his hand, and Squall nodded in his direction. "Is this connected to the Training Centre crisis in any way?"

Squall shook his head seriously. "There is no evidence to suggest that."

"But it's a possibility?" The boy urged.

"The timing of the incidents could be more than a coincidence," Squall was forced to concede. "But jumping to conclusions will only narrow our judgement. For now, let's treat them as separate cases."

Another girl on the other side of the auditorium was directed to speak next. "Do we still have to go to class?"

There were a few tense laughs. "All classes will continue as normal," Squall answered simply. "Any more questions? No. Then you may go."

And with a hustle, the assembled students began to leave, people from the back rows leaving the doors first.

"I think my dad handled that quite well, don't you?" Lianne turned to Leali and Alix as they joined the queue to leave.

And then, so suddenly, the panicked screams of some female students were heard up ahead, just outside in the corridor.

Squall, who had just been leaving the podium with Cid, turned his head sharply to look in the direction of the doors. Without a moment's hesitation, he jumped over the stage barriers into the seats, pushing his way through the gathered students who were craning their necks to see what was happening.

Lianne reacted like lightning, following hot on his heels. As Squall made his way through the throng, Lianne stuck close behind him to travel in his cleared path. Reaching the front of the crowd, she stopped beside her father with a gasp of horror.

On the floor, another pool of fresh, scarlet blood trickled towards the gathering students. It was dripping, and Leanne followed its path upwards to see something that made her cry out in dismay.

A girl was pinned to the wall. Through her heart was a kunai, holding her four feet above the ground. Her eyes were wide beneath large, black-framed glasses.

"Shin…" she breathed, a hand drifting up to her mouth to cover it, feeling like she might retch.

"Everyone, go back to your dorms!" Squall commanded, after a silent moment surveying this fresh tragedy. Nobody moved, all shocked into inaction. "Dorms, _now_! I mean it!"

Slowly, the students began to move away. The thin trail of students that picked their way across the blood-soaked floor kept their eyes on Shin's body the whole way down the corridor. Lianne, standing in her father's shadow, couldn't move. Suddenly she felt Alix's arm around her shoulders. "Come on, Lianne. Let's get out of here."

Leali, tears welling up in her eyes, took hold of Lianne's hand, trying to urge her friend away too. "Please, let's go."

Lianne could hardly hear her friends' voices. Her eyes were on Shin, who was fixed up on the wall like some kind of gory portrait. Lianne couldn't shake the thoughts of the horrific ways Shin could have died, judging by the glint of fear in her vacant eyes.

The rest of the students were moving quicker now, spurred on by disgust and terror now the initial shock had faded. Within a few minutes, only Squall, Lianne, Leali and Alix remained.

"Lianne, that includes you," Squall said, a stern look on his face. He watched her briefly, before realising she was too shocked to even move. "Leali, take her some place safe, would you? She just needs some rest."

Leali nodded and started, very carefully and slowly, to guide Lianne away.

Confident his daughter was now leaving, Squall turned back to the scene at hand. Alix scowled as he took one last look at Squall and followed his friends, noting Squall's intended ignorance of him.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

Lianne was sitting in the Infirmary with Leali and Alix after Squall had sent her away. A blanket draped around her shoulders, she was sat on a bed, her friends watching over her with concern. Dr Kadowaki pressed a hot cup of something strong-smelling into her hands. "Here, drink this."

Lianne took a little sip of the clear liquid in the cup, surprised at its sweet taste.

"Is she alright?" Alix asked the doctor, worry clear in his eyes.

"Don't worry yourself, young man," she answered. "I've dealt with this kind of thing many times before. She's simply suffering from shock. A little rest will do her well." The doctor wasted no time in disappearing back out of the room, no doubt to deal with the deluge of other patients she had faced over that morning's grisly discovery.

"Lianne? Are you okay now?" Leali asked softly.

Lianne managed a weak nod in reply.

"What's up? That must have spooked you pretty badly, huh?" Alix said.

"I was… I was so mean to her, Alix!" she replied, a large tear rolling down her cheek. "The last time we saw her in the library… I was horrible to Shin. And now… and now…" She started to cry, hanging her head so that her brown hair fell in front of her face.

Leali crouched down in front of Lianne and put her hands on her knees, peering up at her friend's tear-stained face. "Lianne… come on, please don't cry."

"I can't help it… I'm such an awful person!" Lianne choked.

Alix sat himself next to her on the bed, putting his head close to hers. "No, you're not. If you're such a bad person, would we even be friends with you?"

"Exactly! You're not like that at all!" Leali nodded in agreement.

"It doesn't change what I said."

"Lianne, if you feel that awful about it, you shouldn't be sat here crying about it," Alix said, in a stern but comforting way. "There's only one way to make up for this, and you know what that is?"

Lianne shook her head, glistening eyes fixed intently on him.

"We've got to find Dante, which is what Shin wanted. Then, we have to avenge Shin's death by helping Squall find the killer, right?"

"Yeah, of course! Then that's, like, your apology or something!" Leali chimed in.

"Shin probably knows how sorry you are, so let's help her out." Alix smiled.

"You know what? I think you might be right, guys," Lianne said, wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand. "So I'm gonna drink up the rest of… whatever this is, and then we'll get out of here. Then we go and help my dad."

Squall wasn't impressed by his daughter's offer to help.

"Lianne, I have enough to be dealing with at the moment without you arguing with me over anything and everything."

"Which is why we want to help you! You can't handle this alone," Lianne replied.

Squall sighed, glancing at Leali and Alix, who were standing behind Lianne with apologetic looks on their faces. "I'm not alone. I have Cid, Quistis, Xu and most of the Garden Faculty working with me on this. Don't forget Selphie and Irvine, and the entirety of SeeD besides. Trust me, we're dealing with this. This doesn't concern you."

Before Lianne could argue back, the elevator to the bridge ascended, bringing Xu up to their eye-level. "Squall, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we've got another missing persons case."

"Who is it?" Squall asked with urgency.

"Her name's Emily Durran. Another student."

Squall sighed again. "This is getting ridiculous. How many is this now?"

"This brings the count up to twelve," Xu said, shaking her head. "Include Zell's squad and it's even more."

Lianne gasped. "What?! _Twelve_ missing people?"

"Lianne, there's nothing that you can do here. Go. Now," Squall ordered.

"Um, excuse me, Squall?" Xu interrupted. "I do actually have something these three could do. Emily's boyfriend, Chriz… he's very distressed. Perhaps they could talk to him?"

"Aw, that's awful! Please can we go talk to him, Dad?" Lianne said.

"Where is he?" Squall asked, after a sigh.

"He's waiting just at the bottom of the lift here."

"Okay, we're on it! SeeDs, move out!" Lianne said, jumping on to the lift. Only Leali managed to mimic her enthusiasm.

When the three companions reached the bottom, they saw a boy about their age, with brown hair and hazel eyes. His expression was a mixture of both sorrow and fury. He was pacing around frantically in impatient strides.

Lianne, suddenly intimidated by the boy's demeanour, let Alix take the lead.

"Hey, you must be Chriz, right?" Alix said, trying to remain casual.

The boy cast ill-tempered eyes upon him. "Yeah. And who are you?"

"I'm Alix," he said, holding out a hand for Chriz to shake. "And this is Lianne and Leali."

"What do you want?" he demanded, completely disregarding Alix's handshake. "I'm not interested in anything you have to say."

"Hey, we're here to help you, you ungrateful pig!" Lianne yelled, finding her voice. "So have some respect and listen to Alix!"

"Lianne, just leave it, alright?" Alix said, quietly.

Lianne folded her arms in defiance, and turned her back.

"Look… Xu told us what happened. We want to help you," Alix explained to the other boy.

"Yeah, well… you can't do anything about it, can you?" Chriz retaliated, face flushing and eyes welling with tears.

"Squall's dealing with it. They're doing all they can. But right now, we want to help you out."

"There is_ nothing_ you can do!" Chriz reiterated through gritted teeth.

"Chriz, I know you're upset, but you gotta realise that acting this way won't bring Emily back." Alix put a hand on his shoulder.

Chriz shrugged it off violently. "Then what will?" he said, almost in a sob.

"I'd like to tell you I know, but I don't. The best you can do is leave Squall and the others to it. Pacing around down here and waiting to cause trouble will only distract them from Emily's case. They'll find her, I guarantee it."

The intercom rang in. "This is Xu. We have a new state of emergency in Garden at the moment. Many people have disappeared, and we've decided it's time to take action. With confirmation from the Headmaster, we're going to initiate a thorough search of Garden and a roll-call of all the students, SeeDs and staff members alike, so we know what our position stands at. Shortly, we'll land on the island of Balamb, near the town. You will receive your instructions when we arrive. Thank you for your co-operation."

Alix smiled. "See? They're taking action already. Don't sweat it."

Chriz gave him a dark look and stalked away, eyes cast down to the ground.

Lianne looked at Alix with concern. "Do you think that worked?"

"I wouldn't count on it. He's having a hard time."

"I feel really sorry for him…" Leali said, with sympathetic eyes.

"Me too," Lianne agreed. "But my dad'll sort it! He always does."

Half an hour later, Garden descended upon the grassy plains of Balamb. The students were emptied out on to the fields, led out in orderly lines alongside SeeDs, instructors, superiors and Garden Faculty. They had all heard their instructions, and they all knew what was expected of them.

Everybody was to report to the Garden Faculty so their name was written down and used to create a list of all the people missing. Meanwhile, a thorough search of the Garden would be performed by experienced SeeDs. Emotions were running high. This whole procedure was so bizarre and desperate, and it made the inhabitants of Garden realise just how scared they really were.

Over the last few days, Garden had changed. People no longer walked alone in the corridors, but travelled in huddled groups of three or four. Everybody seemed nervous and on edge, and the superiors were constantly busy and overwhelmed. Suddenly, everyone was a suspect. The murderer's motives were unclear to all – they just seemed to be mercilessly killing in cold blood. The recent wave of disappearances and the Training Centre mystery just added to the confusion. Were they connected? How could so many people just go missing at the same time? At least the Garden was being searched thoroughly. Even the Training Centre was to be checked again. A group of qualified SeeDs were making their way in there, following in the footsteps of Zell's squad, to carry out a rigorous search of the area. No stone was being left unturned as the SeeDs fought to find their missing friends and colleagues.

These were the thoughts rumbling through the crowds as everyone joined the alphabetical lines to put their names down in the Garden register.

Lianne had left Alix and Leali in the 'S' and 'K' queues respectively, and now she was waiting in the 'L' line for her turn to be registered. As she waited, she looked around at the worried faces of her fellow students, wondering if, in the glimmer of a frightened eye, or in the murmur of uneasy lips, there would be the hint of such evil as to kill innocent people without cause. It seemed so impossible, but it was happening. And what was even more terrifying was that no one knew who was next. It could even be her, or her friends and family that fell victim to the mysterious killer.

As she glanced around, she caught sight of Chriz in the 'B' queue, and she felt a wave of guilt wash over her. Just like she had with Shin, she had been horrid to him as well. She made a note to herself to apologise to him, before he turned up dead with a kunai in his back. She diverted her eyes in shame, to see Leali in the 'K' queue, waving to her with a grin. Lianne smiled back as Leali reached the front of her line, and began speaking to the Garden Faculty at the end. It took a moment for Lianne to come to her senses, but when she did, she realised she too was at the front of the line.

"Your name?" the man questioned her.

"Lianne Leonhart. As if you really needed to ask."

Scribbling something down in a great big book, the Faculty member nodded. "Thank you. Now, Miss Leonhart, do you know of any missing persons?"

Her face flushed red again, remembering Shin and Chriz. "I know two: Dante Mastic and Emily Durran. Oh… and Zell Dincht, too."

"Thank you for your co-operation. You may go now."

Lianne left the line and re-joined Leali and Alix, who were waiting for her.

"Hey, I got word that the search is nearly done," Alix said as she approached.

"Great. I wonder if they've had any luck?" Lianne said, with a doleful glance toward Garden.

"It doesn't seem like it. The Garden's apparently clear, and the squad that was sent into the Training Centre have only just gone in, so we can't expect to hear anything from them for a while yet, I guess."

"You know, I was just thinking of something," Leali said, with a wise face.

"What is it?" Lianne asked.

"Well… if they couldn't find the murderer hiding in Garden… perhaps they're out _here_ with us?" she answered, glancing around edgily.

"You're saying…" Lianne started, shocked.

"I was just thinking the same thing." Alix nodded. "The culprit could easily be a student or instructor. Right under everybody's noses…"

Lianne shivered with the thought. "You've got to be kidding."

Towering above them protectively, Garden looked like it always had – safe, serene and beautiful. Lianne could hardly believe the haven she called home was under such an unpredictable and terrifying threat. _If only there was something more I could do, _she thought.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

Nearly a week had passed since the search of Garden, and nobody had fallen victim to the kunai-killer since. Nobody had been reported missing either. Everything seemed so peaceful in their home. The SeeDs had either driven the killer out, or at least spooked them significantly enough that they were hesitant to kill again. But not all was going so well. The second SeeD squad that had been sent into the Training Centre had still not returned. Along with Zell's group, the number of missing personnel now totalled thirty-five. There had still been no contact from anyone within the Training Centre, and nobody in Garden could be expected to ignore this fact, or the huge list of missing persons that still hung over Squall's head. Nobody was at ease yet, and Squall least of all.

Ever since the first report of one of those mutated monsters, he could not remember having a peaceful night's sleep. And this night was no different. As he lay in his quarters, on his bed which might as well have been made from solid rock judging by his inability to get comfortable on it, he turned over and over, unable to steady his racing thoughts.

Where were they? They had been gone for so long now, and it hurt Squall to know that he could have done something about it earlier, and still had the opportunity to do so, but couldn't, thanks to the burden of his responsibility as leader of SeeD. Like chains, it shackled him to a place far away from the Training Centre, where he wanted to be.

He couldn't help feeling that if he had gone in there already, he would have stopped the killings and the disappearances both – that is, if his suspicions were true, and all the incidents were connected. He could see no other explanation, but he couldn't figure out _how _or _why_ they were linked. And with his only clue being a weapon that no one in Garden wielded, he was even more at a loss than ever.

In the darkness, he lay on his back and whispered into the still of the night. "Rinoa…? What should I do?"

He remained stoic, hardly daring to breathe in case he missed something, a message from his love, perhaps. After a few moments, he let out a heavy breath, realising no advice was coming to him. He had become so used to being guided by Rinoa's voice over the years, it seemed like instinct now to seek her help whenever he was lost. She had always led him through his hard times when she was alive, why should it be any different now?

But of course it was different. She was dead, no longer within the reach of his voice. The only thing that answered him was perpetual darkness, and the despair of his own mind.

"Please, Rinoa, I don't want to be alone in this. I want to go, but… can I? There's so many other people relying on me right now, and it's not just about what _I_ want any more. And yet here I am, wanting to go."

_What am I doing?_ He thought, rolling over on to his side with a groan of frustration.

_There are some things that people need to learn to do for themselves. You, Squall… you need to follow your heart. _

A brief smile crossed over his face as he heard Rinoa's voice speaking out to him. From where, he did not know. It felt as if it was coming from the darkness itself, but at the same time, it felt like it came from deep inside himself. "My heart tells me to go, but what would Cid think? And the others?"

With a jolt, he realised what he had just said. _What others think…_

He remembered a time some seventeen years ago, distant, like a passing dream. Rinoa had still been alive, but unconscious, knocked into a coma by the power of Ultimecia when she first received her sorceress powers. Squall had been so worried, and swore to take her to Esthar to get her some help. The problem was, he had been stuck in Fisherman's Horizon, with no trains running between there and the huge, technological city of Esthar. Only an enormous bridge linked the two places, and Squall had got himself so worked up that he actually picked up Rinoa and carried her the miles that it took to cross the bridge and reach the Esthar continent. Along the way, he had spoken to Rinoa, just as he was doing now. Although she was comatose, it didn't stop him spilling his heart to her – which, as he remembered, was the first time he had ever done so in his life. He recalled telling her something: a deep, hidden secret inside of him. It was about the part of himself that he hated, that made him so afraid to trust in others in case they might find it. That side of him was too caring, but not in a good way. He cared about the wrong things, particularly what people thought of him.

When he took off from the others without saying goodbye, Rinoa on his back, he thought everyone would have been laughing at him for his actions. He had told the unconscious Rinoa this too. But it turned out they were all behind him, willing to help him every step of the way, just like true friends should. He had been wrong about how his friends felt, and he experienced an over-whelming sense of guilt that he underestimated, yet again, the opinions of those he cared about.

This memory was the one that made him stop and consider what he had just said aloud. He was doing it again, making decisions based on what he imagined people would think about him after he had made them. With a strong surge of resentment towards himself, he pushed himself off his bed and towards his door. As he reached it, he stopped, looked back into the darkness, and said into it, "Thank you." With a blink of his ice-blue eyes in the blackness, he took his gunblade from its case, and left the room.

It was midday in Balamb, and Lianne was heading to the main hall to meet Leali and Alix. She had a weird sensation about her as she walked. She could feel people giving her uneasy glances as she passed them, which did nothing but unnerve her. And as she caught sight of her friends, the expressions on their faces did nothing for the knot in her stomach.

They both looked stony and blank, almost unable to speak. But as she neared them, Leali did manage to form some words in a wavering, apologetic voice. "I'm sorry, Lianne. I feel really sorry for you. It's okay, I understand how you must feel, and me and Alix are here to talk if you need to." She had her hands clasped together she was rocking backwards and forwards on her feet, as if it was all she could to stop herself dashing forward to hug her best friend.

Lianne gave her a puzzled look. "Um… Centra to Leali? What are you talking about?"

Leali gave Alix a nervous look, and Alix sighed. "You mean you haven't heard?"

"Heard what? What are you talking about, guys?" She paused for a moment, the sorrow in their eyes striking fear into her. "Oh no… something bad has happened, hasn't it?"

"Your dad… he went into the Training Centre this morning," Alix said, softly.

"What…?" This was all Lianne could utter as Alix's words washed over her like a wave. She wondered if she had misheard him, or if this was just some terrible nightmare she might wake up from if she pinched herself hard enough. She closed her eyes as tears threatened. She felt someone's arms wrap gently around her body, and heard this same somebody sobbing along with her. She blinked through the film of tears to see Leali hugging her, and crying for her.

Lianne wanted to hold her friend too, she needed the comfort, but she found herself unable to even lift her arms, the shock seeping around her soul. Everyone else had gone into that Training Centre and never been heard from again, all of them trained and experienced SeeDs, whole _squads_ of them. If her dad had gone in there too, alone... She couldn't imagine what was in there, lying in wait for him. As much as she believed in her father's skills, she couldn't unknot the twisted rope of feelings in her stomach.

She was only just beginning to realise, but one of her greatest fears in life was for her dad's safety. Having lost her mother at such a young age, her dad had been all that was left for her in the world. She knew how painful it had been to lose her mother, and she couldn't even begin to think about how hard it would be to lose her father too. She knew she wouldn't be able to bear it. Her thoughts seemed to soak into her heart as though it were a hungry, sorrowful sponge. Everything seemed lost as her mind raced and raced, and the world began to spin around her, still blurry from her tears.

Soon, it became too much for her to take, and she collapsed, sobbing, into Leali's arms. "But why did he go?" she asked, feebly. "I thought everything was okay now! I thought the killings and disappearances had stopped?"

Alix watched her, and the feelings in Lianne's heart rang in his own too, and he could feel her pain just as well as she could. He rested a hand upon her back, that was moving raggedly between her heavy breaths. He felt useless. "I think he was worried about the SeeDs that have vanished in there. Besides… the killings might not have anything to do with the Training Centre, Lianne. Squall's a good man. He's just worried and wants to help."

"But why did he have to put himself in danger?" Lianne cried, her voice wavering with tears. People passing them in the corridor were beginning to stop and stare.

Leali noticed this and, holding her best friend closer, said, "Come on, let's get you to your dorm."

Alix had been pacing the corridor outside Lianne's room for only a short while now, but already, he felt impatient.

He had been ushered out of the room by Leali while she helped Lianne change. She insisted that Lianne needed to sleep, and though Alix agreed with her, he was frustrated at being left outside, while she was inside, fighting with tears. It was almost a relief when Leali opened the dorm door, slipped out, and gently closed it behind her. He stopped his pacing. "Is she-?" Alix started to ask, but she interrupted him.

"Fast asleep, yeah. She'll be fine once she's gotten over the shock."

Although this wasn't quite the answer Alix was hoping for, he nodded anyway, deciding to just accept Leali's interpretation of his question. "Can I-?"

Leali was shaking her head. "No, better let her rest."

Alix sighed, but he nodded. "Well, I guess I'll be off then…"

"Okay. See you later!" she said, as Alix began to walk away. "Oh, and Alix! Honestly, don't worry about her. She's sleeping like a baby."

"Thanks, Leali," he said, forcing a smile. "See you."

As the two friends left in opposite directions, Lianne lay inside, having far from the peaceful rest her friends believed she was. She was lying in her bed, brown eyes flecked out by the small stream of light floating in through the gap in her curtains, tears still threatening. She didn't want to sleep. More important, she _couldn't_ sleep, not with her dad so desperately in danger. But the most horrible thing was that she couldn't even imagine what he was having to endure inside the Training Centre.

She sat up, still wiping the remnants of tear-tracks from her face. She hugged her knees as ideas began to fill her mind.

_What am I doing here?_ She thought to herself. _Why am I sitting in my dorm crying when Dad is in there?_

The thoughts turned over and over in her mind, a guilty conscience starting to rear its ugly head. She threw herself back on to her bed, her head falling straight back into the feathered pillow. She pulled the blanket over her head, fresh tears starting with this new wave of emotions. And, lying there in her own despair, she cried herself to sleep.


End file.
